Weathering the Storm
by Chtulhu
Summary: [AU] In a post apocalyptic world, Naruto struggles to protect those that he calls his family, and find happiness for himself. Naruto x Sakura
1. Prologue

AN: While I'm a huge fan of the setting of the anime and manga, I think that most of the characters in Naruto can stand up quite well in settings beyond their own. This idea has been kicking around in my head for a while now, and I hope you guys enjoy it. Things are going to get started off with a bit of a bang - a veritable end of the world. While the setting is in a world quite like or own, it's still not meant to be simply a post apocalyptic future - there are fantasy elements in it as well, though not always as you might first think.

The italics text can be safely ignored, if you're wanting to get straight to the story, as it's not vital to story progression - but I'm a firm believer in having a good back story, so if you share that belief - by all means, indulge yourself.

* * *

_In the year 2010, political destabilization reached a critical point - a point where first the Middle East, and then the rest of the world fell into a war that brought civilization to its knees. Governments collapsed, with the superpowers falling the hardest. The United States, European Union, and Asiatic Defense Confederation deteriorated into wastelands. Power hungry commanders in the armed forces staged coup after coup, with none being truly successful. Stabilizing the latest flavor of the week government proved impossible, and by 2015, any semblance of a functioning military was something only dreamed about by people all over the globe. Unfortunately, those five years were perhaps the most bloody in human history._

_It had all started with a single spark in the most war torn region on Earth, during the year 2008 -a border dispute, where a single soldier had made the mistake of using deadly force on a civilian. The government responded by declaring war. Soon, political allies were dragged into the fight, with the entire region in a military brushfire. The region was never known for it's abundance of water, and it seemed that similarly, there would be no relief to put out the rapidly deteriorating situation._

_By September of 2009, the three political powerhouses had come to an agreement. The war was too costly for all parties involved, in both lives and resources. The decision was made - the decision that inevitably sent the world back into the dark ages - to cut their losses and run, and implement a scorched earth policy. If there wasn't to be peace, there wasn't to be anything. Atomic weapons were to used to end the war... as well as most life inside of the Middle East._

_The public outcry was immediate. Protestors lined the street, and a series of riots lasting months overtook every major city in every major country of the world. Texas broke from the Union, citing that they had once been their own country, and would return to that state. Following suit, California did the same, claiming that the foundation the country had been built upon had been desecrated, and that they could not remain in good conscious. Several formerly Confederate states decided to take up their old mantle, and on the third of January, 2010 the second American Civil War started. Texas, California, and much of the Midwest stayed their hand and any involvement, leaving the Northeastern states to fend for themselves. Before any meaningful victories could be had by either side, rogue generals began their own factions. Any semblance of order or reason for the war evaporated, and all that was left was a power play for dictatorial rule of the land._

_Europe and Asia fared little better. The Eastern Bloc knew that much of the world would be too busy with their own problems to attempt to stop their own military advances. The Soviet steamrolled through Europe, destroying those who did not ally with them, and rewarding those that did. Whole populations were mass conscripted into the army used to defile the land. Fearing for themselves, the European Union split in half, many joining the reincarnated Soviet powers for their safety, and the rest barricading themselves in within their own borders, hoping for some sort of earthly miracle to save them from impending invasion. In Asia, an economy fueled almost entirely by trade, threatened to collapse. Japan and Korea, desperate for resources, began their separate invasions of the Chinese mainland. It turned into a deadly three way battle for their way of life, and soon the Chinese population began a revolt against their government. Tibet broke off, as did Hong Kong. The infighting rivaled that of what was occurring in North America, leaving little to fight the Korean and Japanese invaders. _

_South America became a mess of guerilla warfare. In the end, their lack of large militaries saved them from much of the fighting. Beyond the initial shock causing several terrorist groups to rise up, and in some cases, take temporary hold of the government, things settled down, as they realized that was one of the few relatively stable regions of the world, people would soon begin to, in a perversely ironic change, mass immigrate into their lands. Realizing this, they formed a coalition to secure their borders. They were not alone in this situation. Australia was all but untouched by the war, but was afraid of the political instability that would be caused by a mass immigration. Smaller island countries such as Cuba followed suit. Within a year of the major outbreaks of war, immigration into these countries all but stopped, with only close relatives of citizens being allowed in._

_By 2013, much of Europe had fled from the Soviet invaders into Africa, and the Soviet military pursued them. What happened next was the final blow that caused the house of cards to crumble. Authorizing nuclear warfare, the Soviet command tossed a lit match onto the gasoline that was the military situation of the world. Within days of using weapons of mass destruction to remove much of the fortified European footholds in Africa, hidden bases and submarines responded in kind. This new turn in what would be known as the fall of the world acted to remove whatever inhibitions the warlords in other locations had had about using whatever they had stockpiled. The end of these wars came in 2015, not because of peace or political agreement, but rather because there was no one left to fight._

* * *

He looked down in horror at the crimson liquid flowing out of him at an astounding rate. He felt as his knees gave way, causing him to crash to the ground, one arm holding him up from falling completely, the other clenched to his abdomen in a futile attempt to stop the flow of blood. As he gasped out an incomprehensible statement, a gust of wind brought a wave of dust and sand to his face, obscuring the vision of his blue eyes, and dirtying his blonde hair. 

"Get up, kid. You know it's not going to be that easy, right? We're not going to let you just fall down and die before we've had our fun with you."

A fierce kick to his side forced his eyes open in pain. He turned to look at his ribcage, and saw that his orange jumpsuit was marred black by the ash and grime that had been layered on the offending boot. He tilted his head to look up at his assailants, two young men who looked to be in their early twenties. Both wore the same unmarked camouflage, white grey and black, meant for an urban environment. It was almost amusing to think of about, when taking into consideration the state of the world._ Urban environment? Not much of that left._ All around him, the ruins of what was once a major city of the southwestern United States lay in various crumbling states of deterioration. Adorning the streets were the burned out hulks of tanks left forgotten, rather than the cars that should have been in there place.

Another kick to his side forced his mind back into the present. He knew that his wandering mind was a product of the blood loss, causing him to go into shock and lose focus. He knew that if he didn't do something soon, then he was doomed to be just another statistic, one more death that would be nothing more than a number to some historian hundreds of years in the future, when they looked back on this sordid state of affairs as nothing more than another bleak patch in a tapestry of time full of bleak patches. Gritting his teeth, he stood slowly.

"Oh, standing up? Realized we weren't going to let you bleed into unconsciousness and death, I suppose." The taller of the two spoke.

He focused his eyes on the taller one, taking note of the weapons he had in his hand. He wasn't quite sure what to make of it, though it really shouldn't have surprised him. Weapons were the most valuable, traded, and stolen, commodity in these times. Making your own out of whatever you had at hand was hardly a rare occurrence. This one, however, was odd even for an age of oddities. It appeared to be a shovel with two axes attached to either side, with a long knife duct taped to the end. It was utterly impractical, completely unwieldy, and totally fearsome.

He took a stumbling step towards them. The only reaction he received was a smirk. Another step. And another. He rubbed his right thumb along the insides of his palm. Soon. Another step. He stumbled, but picked himself back up. His target rose his unwieldy battleaxe in warning, but it was too late. He tensed the muscles in his right arm, and the knife he had hidden up his sleeve fell into his waiting hand. Using his last burst of energy, he threw his weight against the man, bringing the two of them down. Forcing himself to continue acting, he shoved his knife upward into the man's throat. He felt a moment of grim satisfaction before he felt a blow to his head.

Stunned, he rolled over onto his back, looking up into the barrel of a gun. He had no time to question where the shorter man had produced the firearm from, as the world went black as a single shot rang out.

* * *

He showed no emotion as he folded up the stock of his rifle. He was wearing a black jumpsuit, with a thin piece of cloth covering his nose and mouth to prevent the sand and dust from irritating him. One of his eyes was covered with a similar piece of cloth, with the other giving only the slightest hint as to what he was feeling. He looked down upon the scene again, hoping that he would reach the boy in time to offer him aid. Subconsciously redirecting his chakra towards his feed, he began his descent down the building. As he broke into a run, he heard a gunshot, and felt a bullet tear into his shoulder, and he stumbled. Still several stories above the ground, he knew it was going to be a painful fall. 

As he did what he could to tumble and break the moment of the fall, he still hit the ground with a loud crack, and felt a painful shattering within his already wounded shoulder. Looking up, he saw that the shooter had collapsed again, succumbing to his wounds. It seemed that his desire for revenge had given him enough strength to take one last shot before giving up.

Kakashi picked himself up, and hurried to the boy. He cursed his luck, as he did what he could to rummage through his things with his good arm. Finding what he was looking for, he used his teeth to rip open the packaging, and began to bandage the kid's side.

He knew that a gash that size could easily be infected, so he continued to search for some antibiotics. When met with success, he realized that with one arm he wasn't going to be able to force the kid to swallow the pills. Regretfully, he woke him up.

"Yo. Kid. Wake up. Tell me your name." He shook him lightly.

"Uh... Naruto..." came the moaning response.

"Swallow these, and hurry. There has to be time for it to get into your system." He popped the pills into Naruto's mouth. "Now swallow."

Moving his attention away momentarily, he searched the bodies of the two men. Grabbing the pistol, he switched the safety to on, and shoved it into a pocket in his jumpsuit vest. He found several protein bars and other semi valuable materials, and grabbed them as well.

"What's yours?" came the faint voice of the blonde kid lying beside him.

He rose, and helped Naruto up, bracing him over his working shoulder. He lifted him slightly, letting the kid drag his feet along behind them as he walked.

"Kakashi."

As he shouldered the load of the boy, he wondered just how he had survived the blow long enough to take down the first man. Taking an axe to the side should have put him down for the count. That he had been able to stand and attack was nothing short of amazing.

* * *

Naruto's eyes opened blearily as he felt a spoon being put to his mouth. He couldn't remember where he was, but all he saw was a dim light behind the head of a man with silver hair. _Kakashi. _The thought came to his suddenly, though he wasn't sure from where. 

"Eat."

He did. Before he could mumble his thanks, however, darkness reclaimed him.

* * *

Naruto dug into the cup of ramen eagerly. Kakashi had found a small supply of it, as well as some bottled water in one of his forays into the abandoned suburbs. He had carried Naruto out of the city proper, and into the sparse, but largely undestroyed housing district. Most of it was long since looted, but before the war had reached boiling point many had stockpiled and hidden various nonperishable goods in hidden locations, and some of these lifesaving caches were left undiscovered by the local thugs warlords sent to scavenge for supplies. 

They were sitting inside of an abandoned bus on a raised highway leading out of the city. Undoubtedly, the absence of the two sentries in the city had been noticed, and both Kakashi and Naruto fully expected they were being searched for, so they had taken shelter in the remainder of what was once a flourish of urban sprawl. He had learned some of his silvery haired savior. Formerly a military sniper, he had deserted during the early stages of the civil war, deciding that it was best to look out for himself in a world gone to shit. Since then, he had joined up with one of the warring groups, fortunately one out for survival for themselves and their families, rather than the submission of others.

He had been on a scouting mission to determine how close the enemy had encroached to their current encampment, and had been surveying things from the rooftops when he had seen the situation that Naruto was in. Well, to be fair, he had been drawn to it long before he had seen anything. The boy had an enormous amount of chakra, enough that it surprised him when he realized the boy had no training whatsoever. He could tell that he was young when the government, and thus the training programs, had deteriorated, but someone with that level of potential was usually discovered and put through the schooling system at an even younger age.

Naruto had mostly healed at this point, with a speed that had surprised his older compatriot, but he wasn't one to have misgivings about blessings. The angry wound had receded to a pink patch of new skin.

"How old are you, anyway, Naruto?" The silence was broken as they sat across the aisle from each other.

"About twelve. I can't be really sure, though, because I don't know the date." After finishing, he resumed eating, somewhat messily.

"The third of May."

"Hm?"

"It's May third, Naruto. I was telling you the date."

"Oh."

Silence permeated the air once again, with the exception of the smacking of lips.

"Why don't you ever take off that stuff covering your face, Kakashi?"

Before he could receive a response, there was a crack, and the window behind his head shattered. Both of them ducked in surprise, going to ground to hopefully avoid any further shots.

"That's our cue to leave. Take this." He held out the pistol he had taken from Naruto's assailants. "If you're up for it, I want you to run through the cars, using them for cover to draw their fire. I'll be right behind you, and I'll hopefully be able to take them out."

Naruto took the firearm from Kakashi, taking a moment to look at the writing. Heckler & Koch USP45. He nodded, and ran in a crouch to the front of the bus, before kicking open the door. Kakashi followed him, bringing his assault rifle to bear. As Naruto ran out towards the next car on the highway in a zigzag pattern, the sound of gunfire returned. Flipping the cloth open around his other eye, he ducked around the corner of the bus, his eyesight centering in on the gunman. He hurried to the closest car. He hurriedly propped his rifle up on the trunk, attempting to handle the weapon with only one arm.

Naruto was busy dodging the hail of bullets, ducking and diving behind cars and through gaps. _Kakashi better take him down soon. I'm not sure how long I can continue to avoid this._ He focused heavily on preventing any real pattern form with his movements. He had survived by himself long enough to have a very strong survival sense.

The attacker was on one of the other risen bridges, around thirty feet away. Kakashi hurriedly worked the rifle, taking aim. He fired once, and missed. The man ducked. He appeared again several feet away, swinging his own weapon in Kakashi's direction. Realizing it was a race against time, he swung his rifle, and once again put the man in his sights. He fired, and the assailant slumped.

"Come on, he wasn't the last of them. There are more out there, or on their way. Even if he only stumbled upon us by accident, he's sure to have radioed in our position."

They broke into a light jog, continuing along the highway littered with cars abandoned by their owners. The scene isn't what you would expect of a city destroyed by war. There was no mass evacuation. No panic. The cars had stopped working because they had run out of gas, long before the tanks had ever arrived. The implosion of life as they knew it had happened slowly in many cities. Things gradually broke down, with no one there to bring them new supplies or fix it. There were no more shipping routes. No truckers bringing the life sustaining shipments of food and fuel.

* * *

The remainder of their journey had been largely without incident. They had long left the remainders of the city behind, and were still making their way along the highway, heading west, the sun setting as they neared their destination 

"We should reach one of our outposts within an hour or two. Hopefully they'll have some transportation back to town, but we can't be sure that they will. If not, it'll be another day's walk."

Naruto nodded. "That's fine, Kakashi." He scratched the back of his head, and plastered on a grin. "I just can't wait to lie down someplace where things are in nice condition and there are people around. It's been years since I've had anything to call a home. It'll be nice to have my own bed."

"Everyone has to shoulder their fair share of the work, Naruto, and life isn't as good as things were before society crumbled... But it's home."

"That's all that I could want and ask for. A home." With this, Naruto relaxed his hands, and his face took on a look of contemplation.

Before Kakashi could dwell on Naruto's words, and the hardship he must have endured, he heard a low rumble. Scanning quickly for cover, and finding that there was none, he stopped.

Naruto took several steps, and then turned in confusion when he noticed that he could no longer hear the footsteps of his companion. "What's wrong?"

His question was answered when the ground in front of him opened up, and three men jumped out. He knew then that they were ninjas, which many would make the mistake of considering a relic in the modern world. The ability to perform ninjutsu had waned as technology had increased and population rose, but some still had it, and it was a valuable trait. Few average people would have ever understood the value placed on ninjas and training them by the armed forces of the world.

Over the past several years, the amount of people able to control their chakara and perform ninja techniques had risen. It seemed that when necessity increased, so did ability. As modern replacements for ninjutsu had disappeared, many more people found that they were able to perform at least basic techniques. But rating ability by the old system, very few ever went beyond the level of a genin. However, even before the war, a small portion of the population had shown aptitude for the arts. He also knew that he was one of them... but his reality had been ripped away long before everyone else had met with a similar fate.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he realized that Kakashi was speaking to the ninjas that had appeared.

"We don't want a fight. We're trying to leave, in peace."

"That isn't an option. The Raikage has demanded your heads."

Kakashi relaxed his pose, seemingly producing a kunai out of nowhere. "Even with only one arm, I can easily handle you lot. Come on, then."

Not waiting for a response, he let the kunai fly, and began performing hand seals. Naruto watched in amazement as the person who had previously saved his life did so again, taking out the first of the enemy ninjas with ease, putting a kunai in the unfortunate recipient's back. His left arm slack at his side, he still moved with a speed that gave lie to his usual meandering gait, blocking attacks with his forearm while lashing out with his legs, and a seemingly never ending supply of throwing knives.

The second ninja fell as the masked man gave him a blow to the face, knocked unconscious. The third looked at the scene uneasily, before running back towards the city. With some alarm, Naruto saw the moonlight catch the shape of an approaching group of enemies. He tensed, doubting that even Kakashi could take on so numerable a foe. Looking to his side, it seemed said ninja had his own doubts. Reaching a silent agreement, they broke into a run.

"Why didn't you tell me you were a ninja?" Naruto shouted over the howling of the wind in their ears.

"It didn't seem important."

Shaking his head, he continued with his pace. In the distance, he saw an outcropping of rocks, and he altered his course towards it. Kakashi did the same, and they were soon nearing cover. Unfortunately, the enemy had gained on them, and it was unlikely that any refuge they took there would be anything more than a temporary reprieve.

"Not anywhere to hide, really. It's only going to delay the inevitable." Kakashi sighed.

"Inevitable what? Punishment for being so late on an assignment? No corner of the world is going to save you from that! I should know, I've been attempting to hide from Tsunade's wrath for years!" came a booming voice from behind a boulder. From behind it stepped a large man, built with a large frame and sporting wild hair, white with age.

Suddenly, the location seemed to fill with ninjas and soldiers of a more regular sort. While none wore a uniform, it was easy to tell they had come prepared to fight. Not a single face lacked a look of determination, as they stared at the rapidly approaching detachment.

"Jiraiya! It's always a pleasure to see my favorite author, and even more so when it's a matter of life and death." Kakashi's face lit up into a grin, easily seen even with the lower half of his face covered.

"Of course. But you're keeping me from my research. Why can't you handle this group of rabble?"

"I ran into some bad luck with my shoulder." He shrugged.

Both seemed unconcerned as the enemy reached firing range. Naruto soon learned why, as the precise shooting of the soldiers took down many of their foes, with the ninja among the group engaging soon after, mopping up the remains of a force sized only for the intention of capturing two people.

_That fight_, he mused,_ really wasn't fair._

"Take anything that might be of use. We don't have time to bury them, or even to linger around. The Raikage is likely to have sent a follow up force to make sure this one did it's job. and we're not going to be here when it arrives. Let's move out." Jiraiya boomed out his orders with the easy confidence of a man used to being in command. He turned, and looked at Naruto as if noticing him for the first time.

"Eh. Who are you?"

"Naruto Uzumaki, sir!" Naruto said with a beam.

Kakashi once again grinned. "He has potential. I suggest we take him in and train him."

Jiraiya merely shrugged and made a noncommittal grunt. "We'll see. In the mean time, let's get going."

* * *

_9 years later..._

Naruto stood on the metal rigging, his eyes impassive as he watched two pickup trucks speeding their way, throwing up massive amounts of dust in their wake. He stood above the gate to their fortified town, watching for the team to return from their mission. It wasn't supposed to have been much more than a small force going to discuss things with one of their outposts and receive an update on the situation, something that would have taken a day at most, but they had been gone for almost a week, only returning now, and short of a vehicle. As they came to a stop, he looked into the beds of the trucks. There were many faces he didn't recognize them. Among them, a girl about his age with bright pink hair caught his eye. His gaze stopped on her as he signaled for them to be let in.

As if she could feel his gaze on him, she turned to look up at him. She held a bloodied rag to her arm, and there was a grimace on her face that disappeared as her gaze met his. He could see the curiosity lingering in her eyes as he made his way down to greet them.

* * *

A/N: Hope you enjoyed the prologue. 

I'm not exactly sure I'll have an updating schedule, but new chapters should come out fairly regularly. Depending on work and such, there might be some slow periods, but hopefully bursts of inspiration will take me every now and then to make up for that.

Reviews are appreciated.


	2. Chapter 1

A/N: Well, I'm pleasantly surprised with the responses I got. Yes, I was heavily influenced by the Fallout series, though I haven't seen Jericho. I suppose I'll have to check it out now, though. As for mutations and bijuu... Well, I can't show all of my cards now, can I?

* * *

She wasn't sure what it was about the blond man that had caught her attention, but she felt the urge to speak with him. He seemed to carry himself with purpose, as if there was some higher calling he felt he was entitled to. And, for some reason, he had been watching her. 

As the truck rolled over the metal grating that held the ruts for the sliding doors, the jolt from the bump sent an intense pain through her left arm. She grimaced, and clenched the rag tighter to the wound. The man sitting across from her looked her up and down with a look of slight concern. He took a drag from his cigarette, ashes falling into his beard.

"You alright?"

"I'm fine, Asuma. It's a bit painful, but that's it."

He nodded, having had the same conversation several times on the trip back. He closed his eyes, and seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. The cigarette continued to burn unnoticed.

She looked at her surroundings, taking in the industrial feel and efficiency that seemed to permeate the area. The trucks pulled into a covered area - a simple setup of some poles welded to sheet metal - and she watched as the drivers stepped out of the vehicles. The driver of her truck was a man with his hair slicked back into a pony tail, with the end spiked. He seemed duly unconcerned with everything. The other driver wore a trench coat with a raised collar, obscuring much of his face, except for the dark sunglasses resting on his nose.

She found herself in the middle of a bustling hub of activity, seeing that even their arrival seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary. Boxes of supplies were being reorganized and lifted by men and women swarming over the base with what reminded her of the manic and tireless work of ants. The crunch of their boots over the dried ground and gravel rung in her ears like some sort of patterned ambience that had started long before she had arrived, and would end longer after she had gone.

Turning back to Asuma, she saw that he had opened his eyes, and was staring behind her. With a practiced ease, he stood and swung himself out of the bed of the pickup truck, standing at a lax attention. Her gaze following his, she saw the same blond man from the gate walking in their direction.

That same poise she had first noticed on the gate while watching him pace seemed larger than life as he got closer. Being able to look at his features now, she had to admit to herself that he seemed rather handsome. His hair was cropped short, but still long enough to show the yellowish color that had such a striking contrast to his ice blue eyes. He had three markings across his face on each side, as if someone had scarred the design into him. He wore a dark tan jumpsuit, the top unzipped and hanging loosely over a black undershirt.

As he turned to look at her, he noticed her deep scrutiny, and felt his face heat into a blush. Attempting to continue walking, he stumbled over himself.

_Well, so much for that poise. _She was unable to hide her giggle, and as he straightened up, he gave her an indignant look, one that he was unable to continue as he gave into his laughter as well.

She stood, and swung her legs over the side of the walls of the pickup's bed, sitting on the edge of the frame. In doing so, she once again put pressure on her wounded arm, giving her cause to wince in pain. He looked over at her in some concern, offering her a hand. She took it gratefully, her hand lingering on his forearm as she straightened herself out.

"I'm Naruto." He said with a grin, pulling his arm back to grasp her hand in a friendly handshake.

She smiled. He was rather boyish. "Sakura. Sakura Haruno."

A cough came from her right. "Introductions. How troublesome."

Asuma glanced over, before sighing. "I hate to agree with that slacker over there, but Shikamaru has a point. We've got important business to speak with the council about, and several people need medical attention. Sakura is not the only one injured, and some are in more serious condition than she is."

Naruto nodded, his serious demeanor returning. He unclipped a small radio from his waist, calling for some assistance to help move the wounded to their hospital. He turned to Shikamaru. "You know what's going on, so you'll be fine if you miss the meeting. Take Sakura to the hospital, and then join us afterwards."

Shikamaru nodded slightly, and with a sigh motioned for Sakura to follow him. Taking one last look at Naruto, she did so.

* * *

Naruto turned to the man that had been hovering just outside of conversation range during the exchange. He wore an off white jacket, with dark pants, his long black hair reaching the small of his back. Most striking, however, were his eyes, the pupils as white as their surroundings.

"Neji, let's go. Grab Shino and the others. Asuma, find the councilmen. I'll get Kakashi and Jiraiya." Before he could start his search, the two ninjas in question seemed to materialize out of nowhere.

"Yo."

"I heard that a lovely young lady arrived. Where is she, boy?"

With no small amount of impatience, he answered. "We really don't have time for this. Something important has happened, and Asuma believes the council should be convened to discuss it. Neji and Shino were about to round up the other officers and Asuma was going to go get the council before you two arrived."

They shared a glance. "Well, I suppose this comes first. We can wait." Jiraiya finally allowed.

As they walked to the "meeting room", Naruto mused that it really was a sign of the times that the group of people in charge of just about every aspect of life for several thousand people met in a dimly lit storeroom that was once home to the supplies for a clothing store.

He pulled open the door to the rather nondescript building, the paint peeling from the walls, sand and dust scouring any markings that would have formerly been identifying. His hand pushing the glass to keep it open as he walked through, his other fumbled for the light switch, hoping that the base's electricity was currently running - something that, unfortunately, was never a sure thing. The electrical grids were long gone, with diesel generators and slipshod miniature power plants replacing them, as best they could. These days, anyone who owned an oil operation wielded a power unlike many others. Gone were the days of oil barons simply being the rich fringe of society, bribing the politicians. Now they were the politicians, the grease that oiled the wheels of every would be warlord's army, or any community just trying to make due.

_Life has changed_, he reflected, not for the first time. _And not for the better._ He dreamed of society someday rebuilding itself, a task that was larger than life, in scope and length.

They were in luck. The lights flickered, and then came on, bathing them in a circle of dim yellow light. He knew that beyond the small space they were occupying, the warehouse stretched on, holding various supplies. Much of it was nonessential, boxes of things grabbed in haste because they might hold some value, or clothes, like it had held before society had come to an end.

As he sat, his thoughts turned to the pink haired girl, knowing it would take some time for everyone else to gather, and he doubted either Kakashi or Jiraiya would be starting any conversations. They too seemed to be wrapped up in their thoughts, though he wasn't sure if it was related to the meeting, or on subjects he would rather not know about. Shaking his head as if to dispel these unpleasant thoughts, he focused his mind once again on Sakura.

She was pretty - there was no denying that - but there was something about her that seemed to run deeper, that made her stand out in his mind more than most pretty girls did. It wasn't her hair, though he liked it, there were plenty of girls out there who had odd hair colors, natural and none. To be honest, he wasn't sure what it was, but he felt it lying underneath the surface whenever they made eye contact. He had been doing his best to put the feeling aside for later and deal with business when approaching her and the others, but when he noticed her watching him so intently, whatever it was broke through to the surface, causing him to once again focus on her.

If someone said that he wasn't an intellectual, they wouldn't have been much off the mark. If life had been kinder to humanity, he would not have been a great literary genius, innovative scientist, or brilliant politician. But that wasn't to say that he was stupid - far from it, his cleverness was just manifested in other areas -, and he knew that there was some chemistry between the two of them. Whether or not it would be proper to pursue it was another matter, so in some ways, that feeling was unwelcome.

The issue lied in the fact that he was rather high up in the hierarchy of their community, on at least the military aspect. He had largely been groomed for it, his mentors taking note of his charismatic attitude, which made him fast friends with almost anyone he came in contact with. And while he wasn't positive, he was pretty much sure she was a member of their forces, and not a civilian caught up in whatever events had occurred.

The rules they imposed on many things were lax, and to be honest, he wasn't sure if it was even really frowned upon by the others for a relationship between an officer and others. But he knew that he was a very emotional person, and wasn't quite sure he wouldn't give her preferential treatment in assignments and orders. _Getting a little ahead of yourself, aren't you? First off, you're not even sure if she is a serving member, and second, while you think you've got chemistry, what if you're wrong?_ An inner voice chided him.

He entertained the first objection, not bothering to respond to himself on the latter. _Well, it's possible. She certainly seemed to carry herself like a soldier or ninja, but it's possible she's not. And I could possibly steel myself to make the decisions required if she is. And who knows, we might just go out once, and find out there really isn't any chemistry, and things would never even reach the level where I would need to worry about it._ For some reason, though, he felt that none of his rationalizations were completely true.

Shaking off his doubt, he nodded to himself in satisfaction, deciding he would at least broach the subject and ask her out. At the very least, they could see how things went, and decide from there.

* * *

"That boy is troublesome." 

She arched an eyebrow, her gaze shifting to the man with his hands behind his head, his words coming out in a drawl. "Hm?"

"Naruto," he smirked, "is troublesome."

"Why do you say that?"

"Don't get me wrong - he's a good leader, and a good friend - but he's loud. Obnoxious. Annoying. Childish, at times. Troublesome."

She pondered his words. They didn't seem to ring true about the blond haired man... until adding in how he had tripped over himself. There were certainly aspects to him, at least, that were not quite congruent with the way he projected himself before the slipup. Still, she felt there was much more to it than the simplification being offered to her by Shikamaru. His steady gait unwavering, he took her silence to mean she wasn't convinced - and she wasn't.

He sighed.

"He's confident and serious when it comes to matters he considers serious. To him, that's pretty much anything that concerns the safety and wellbeing of others. He takes his responsibilities very seriously. Beyond that, though, and he things of life as one big joke."

She blinked. That's what he was getting on about? "Honestly, I'd say that's pretty refreshing. It's not like we find much hope in our lives these days, so anyone who can see it in the existence we eek out for ourselves, much less produce it, is special."

Another sigh. "Et tu? Troublesome." He closed his eyes, and continued on his path.

The pain in her arm was a dull throbbing, like it had been for several hours. She wasn't too concerned with it - she was a medical ninja, and she knew it wasn't serious - but the fact that she currently lacked the chakra to fix it herself frustrated her. She had put hers to use for a good cause, and there were people who would not be among the living today if she hadn't done her best to heal them, but this solace did little to fix her current vexation.

Really, events had happened so fast, she hadn't even known exactly what was happening. One minute, she was tending to a farmer's broken bone, a result of a field accident, and the next, the building was collapsing around her, and some sort of metal piping had embedded itself in her arm. The farmer helped her pull it out, and they had hobbled out of the building to see a battle unfolding. What she saw made no sense to her eyes, and confused her still. She grimaced, and increased her pace. She could see the hospital now, and had no qualms about leaving Shikamaru behind if he couldn't keep up.

"Let's get this over with."

* * *

There were a multitude of faces surrounding the table, many of them the leaders of the military aspect of their community, but many civilians as well. The governing of Konoha was a task that required both ends of the spectrum to be able to speak their piece on a matter. So far, it had worked out well. They could only hope it would continue - but while both halves shared similar goals, the methods and means to achieve them were far different. 

As he noted that everyone was present, Asuma stood, inhaling deeply. He had been their liaison with the out skirting community in question. There was a small official outpost in a valley mainly made up of farmers.

He began his narration. "The news I bring is both tragic, and disturbing. The events within could very well be threatening to our way of life, and I believe that we may need to take action immediately."

Another deep breathe. "The Uchiha family is no more. Itachi Uchiha has wiped all of them out, save his brother, Sasuke, who was away at the time. Upon his return, and learning what had occurred, he ran off in pursuit of him, vowing to kill him. We can only assume he's dead, as none of us were in a condition to stop him, and there's no way he has the power to defeat his brother."

That was bad news. While the community was made up mostly of farmers, the Uchiha clan was their main source of protection. It was quite similar to the feudal systems of old - the lords would provide the lands for crops to be grown, and in turn for this and their protection, they received a portion of the profit. Without them, the farmers would be subject to the plunder of the roving bands of scavengers, and the scouting parties of local warlords.

"Most of our small force stationed there was heavily wounded in the attack, and several are dead. Most of the civilians were left unharmed, but not all. We brought with us the most seriously wounded, as well as all of our people. The rest of the farmers are on their way here. We sent orders for one of our border patrols to escort them back."

"We do not know what drove Itachi to this. He didn't seem as if he had gone mad, so I can only assume he has some plan or reason for his actions. I fear that he ultimately has designs on the village here, either destruction or enslavement. With that in mind, I recommend we take immediate action, and hunt him down. Hopefully, Sasuke did not catch up with him, and we will find him along the way."

He stepped back into the edge of the shadows, pulling out his lighter and a cigarette, the flame lighting his face once more, before all that could be seen of him was the glowing red embers drifting in the blackness.

Naruto frowned. This was bad news, indeed. It wasn't truly a matter of crop production - while the valley had offered a sheltered location with higher yields, the farmers could still work here, and produce similar amounts of consumables. But the deaths of so many people saddened him, knowing that the Uchiha family had many people in it younger than even him. Children, even by the standards of the cruel they lived in today, had been murdered.

And then there were their people who had died in the action. He regretted the fact that he did not know who all had been stationed there, besides a small handful. He wished he had taken the time before this to learn their names, and something about them. Getting to know them was now impossible, and it was something he regretted.

Surprisingly, it was one of the civilian councilmen who spoke first. She was a middle aged lady, nondescript in both looks and clothes. "Was he heading in this direction, or elsewhere?"

It was Neji who responded. "Southeast from here. There's not much out there. It's very likely he's just seeking someplace where he can rest and recover from the battle. No matter how good you are, taking on so many ninja is bound to wear out massive amounts of chakra and take it's toll. We should strike now, while he is in this weakened state."

"But we have no idea if he cares about us or not. It could very well have been a family dispute, and now he wants to leave us alone, and go brood elsewhere."

Naruto spoke softly. "I don't think that's a safe assumption. And regardless, he has killed people from _our_ family as well, or do you forget the ninjas and soldiers that we lost? They deserve retribution."

There were several murmurs of consent from around the table, as well as several people nodding.

"At the very least, we should send a small group after him." A muffled voice came from behind a thin mask.

A woman with blond hair spoke, her voice full of authority. "We'll send a five man team after him. Unless anyone has any objections?" She looked around the table, her eyes fierce.

The civilian woman spoke. "None, Tsunade."

"Then it's settled. Kakashi, you're in charge of the operation. Gather a team."

* * *

A/N: Well, here we go! I've been a bit busier this past week than I would have liked, so hopefully updates will come in faster installments than this, but I can't make any promises. If I've got another busy week, the next chapter might take a bit longer to come out, since I've got quite a bit more planned for it - but I should be relatively free for a while. Thanks for all the reviews and positive feedback - you guys are going to spoil me. 


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